Able to be modified?

[jonbarr87]

I have a Skywatcher 200p Solid tube dob. I was curious if it is possible to fit the synscan system onto it like their truss tube dobs. Anyone have any insight on this one? It would just be nice to have since I live in the middle of downtown so finding some things isn't always as easy as it should be.

 

Jon

[baggywrinkle]

Have a chat with FLO or Tring Astro and see if it is doable..

[brantuk]

A full Argo Navis or Stellarcat system would cost about 5 times the cost of your scope or more so not really practical. See here:

http://www.obsessiontelescopes.com/accessories/index.php

You could get a goto or tracking base for the 10" and retrofit your tube to it - but it's probably more work than it's worth doing, would look odd, and may be hard to source anyway. I've never seen a tracking or goto kit sold for the SW 8" dobs.

However - just for finding stuff - a nice simple and easy to implement solution would be to fit a setting circle to the azimuth, and use an engineering electronic angle guage for the altitude. Then get your coords from a phone app or pc software like Stellarium. It would cost less than fifty bucks Canadian. And it works very well - you'd be surprised. Hth

[jonbarr87]

Thanks guys.

[brantuk]

On this side of the pond we use Wixey guages like this:

http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/wixey-digital-angle-gauge-with-magnetic-base.html?gclid=CO6Tisyqkc8CFRY6GwodmeYN3Q

They're magnetic and stick anywhere on the scope. You can get the pattern for the azimuth setting circle here:

http://settingcircles.robertwillett.com/

Hth

[jonbarr87]

I'm certainly going to have to look into these a bit more. Kind of nifty!

[brantuk]

All the 200P dob owners in our club do the setting circle/Wixey mod - and my mate can beat my goto scope finding an object with his manual 16" dob. By the time I've looked up the object in the handset database, dialled it in, and slewed - he already has the target in his eyepiece lol. It really does work and it's amazingly accurate.